Page 21 - Flathead Beacon // 1.7.15

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS
JANUARY 7, 2015 | 21
HAPPY. HEALTHY. HOMEGROWN.
The Roundup
From Beacon wire and news services
FLATHEAD
SHERIFF COMPLETES INVESTIGATION INTO FATAL LIBBY SHOOTING
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has completed its investigation into the Dec. 26 shooting death of a 31-year-old Kalispell man.
Now the sheriff’s office will send its report to the county attorney’s office to determine if charges will be filed against the man’s mother-in-law who allegedly fired the fatal shot, according to Sheriff Roby Bowe.
According to Bowe, the sheriff’s of- fice received a call from Lois Kay Olbek- son at 10:17 p.m. on Dec. 26 stating that she had just shot her son-in-law, Michael Leonard Roloff, after he had threatened her.
When deputies arrived at the scene on Glendora Avenue in Libby about three minutes later, they found Roloff unre- sponsive and lying in the driveway of the home; deputies then started performing CPR on him. The Libby Volunteer Am- bulance took him to Cabinet Peaks Med- ical Center, where he was pronounced dead at about 11 p.m.
KALISPELL INMATE’S CONVICTION FOR RAPING 9-YEAR-OLD OVERTURNED
The Montana Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a Kalispell man who is serving a 40-year sentence for sexually assaulting and raping a 9-year-old girl.
The high court ruled on Dec. 30 that District Judge Ted Lympus allowed ju- rors to hear testimony about Thomas Richard Nichols’ sexual habits that was inflammatory, unfairly prejudicial and likely contributed to his November 2011 conviction.
Nichols objected to the question- ing at trial. But it was overruled after prosecutors argued that defense coun- sel opened the door to the questioning when the defense attorney said Nichols hadnoreasontomolestthegirlbecause he had a healthy, active sex life with his girlfriend.
The girl reported Nichols assaulted her in February 2010. He was tried and convicted in November 2011.
Nichols appealed in March 2014, ar- guing that the details of his sex life were irrelevant and were admitted for the purposes of alienating the jury and ob- taining a conviction in a weak case.
The state also argued the testimony of Nichols’ girlfriend, when compared to audio recordings of jailhouse conversa- tions, helped jurors decide if she was tes- tifying truthfully.
Justices found that testimony about Nichols’ seeking other sex partners or potential dominance over his girlfriend could have been explored without get- ting into specific details.
“The kind of evidence and testimony they elicited in that case was just outra- geous and shouldn’t have been allowed — and the court rightly saw it that way,” Nichols’ appellate attorney, Gregory Birdsong of Missoula, said.
Deputy Flathead County Attorney Travis Ahner couldn’t be reached Mon- day to say whether he would re-file the charges.
Nichols, 25, was listed as an inmate at the Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby this week.
NEW CSKT CHAIRMAN TAKES POWER
The Tribal Council for the Confed- erated Salish and Kootenai Tribes has a new chairman.
Vernon Finley of Polson was made the new leader of the tribal government on Jan. 2. He replaces councilman Ron- ald Trahan of St. Ignatius.
A year ago, the council had a dead- locked vote over who should become chairman and Finley and Trahan de- cided to split the two-year term. The 10-member council selects a chairman every two years.
This year is expected to be a busy one for the tribal government, accord- ing to communications director Robert McDonald. Key issues facing the council this year include the acquisition of the Kerr Dam and the water rights compact.
KALISPELL POLICE LOOKING FOR ARMED CASINO ROBBER
The Kalispell Police Department is looking for a man who robbed the Bull- dog Pub and Casino at gunpoint.
Detective Steve Hoover said that at about 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 28 a man wear- ing a gray hoodie, sunglasses and a mask walked into the casino and pulled out what appeared to be a gun. The man de- manded money and an employee gave him an undisclosed amount of cash. While the masked man escaped, a pa- tron hid behind a counter and called the police.
The Bulldog is attached to the Guest- House Inn, Suites & Outlaw Conference Center.
Hoover said the police are investi- gating the incident but noted it has been tough to identify the man. If anyone has any information about the crime they are asked to call the Kalispell Police De- partment.
“We’re doing the best we can but it’s difficult,” he said. “We don’t have a lot to go on.”
Community Supported Agriculture for the Flathead Valley.
Who We Are:
Dannik Gardens is a small, family farm located near the base of the Swan Mountains in Columbia Falls, MT. Originally established in 1994, Dannik Gardens is run by Dan and Nicole Fisher, with abundant help from their six children.
After years of selling our produce at the local farmers’ markets, we recently transitioned to the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) business model. Although we continue to sell at the mar- kets, our first obligation is to our shareholders.
About Our Gardens:
Dannik Gardens has over two acres of land dedicated to producing seasonal vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Our standard crops usually in- clude the following, weather permitting:
• Spring: Low volume - cool season greens: Romaine, red leaf, and bibb lettuces; spinach, Swiss chard, mesclun mix, radishes, and vari- ous herbs.
• Late spring: Carrots, snow peas (edible pod), shelling peas, beets, green onions, herbs, strawberries, and gooseberries, in addition to all of the spring produce listed above.
• Summer: High volume - tomatoes, pep- pers, green beans, yellow wax beans, slicing cucumbers, summer squash, leeks, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, early cabbage, carrots, beets, herbs, raspberries, and greens.
What is CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relatively new business model that creates a direct relationship between farmers and their customers. CSA members, or shareholders, purchase a share of one farm’s annual harvest prior to the beginning of the growing season. As the season progresses, members pick up their shares each week, either at the farm or another designated location.
Becoming a Member:
Our CSA runs for 20 weeks, from June to mid-October. Members will generally receive the equivalent of two grocery bags of produce. The amount will be slightly smaller at the beginning of the season, but will increase to the equivalent of nearly three bags full during peak production.
Annual membership for full shares costs $500, which amounts to $25 per share per week. Half-shares are available for $265. Ap- plication for membership opens January 1. The deadline for application is April 1.
For more important details about CSA mem- bership and payment policies, please visit our website, dannikgardens.blogspot.com.
• Late summer/fall: Corn, winter squash, pumpkins, gourds, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, toma-
toes, peppers, greens.
840 Wapiti Meadows Road Columbia Falls, MT 59912
[email protected] • dannikgardens.blogspot.com
(406) 871-2094
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